"Openly hates our country": Donald Trump rips Brittney Griner-Viktor Bout prisoner swap

Former American president Donald Trump slammed the government's move to bring Brittney Griner back home via a 1-for-1 prison swap in exchange for the infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Taking to his conservative social media site, Truth Social, the 76-year-old politician called the prisoner swap "stupid" for an "unpatriotic" Griner with a person who has a track record of killing numerous people:

“What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as 'The Merchant of Death,' who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries."

Further in the post, Trump suggested that instead of Brittney Griner, it should have been Paul Whelan who deserved freedom:

"Why wasn't former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a 'stupid' and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!"

Whelan, a Marine Corps veteran, possesses citizenship in three countries other than the United States. He was arrested in Russia in 2018 on charges of espionage and received a 16-year prison sentence in 2020.

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"Wish we could’ve traded Donald Trump instead": Twitteratis express disappointment over Donald Trump slamming Brittney Griner's swap

After Donald Trump's post from Truth Social, where he called Brittney Griner someone who "openly hates the country," went viral, netizens were furious and took to Twitter to express their opinions.

Several users slammed the former President for his words and also mocked the situation by stating that the government should have traded him for Griner instead of Viktor Bout.

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Donald Trump has previously blamed Brittney Griner for getting imprisoned in Russia

After Donald Trump called the 1-for-1 prisoner swap of Brittney Griner "stupid" and "unpatriotic," a video of the 76-year-old politician resurfaced on the internet where he called the WNBA player "potentially spoiled" after getting imprisoned in Russia for the possession of marijuana.

While appearing on an episode of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show podcast on July 29, Trump slammed the then-proposed deal to swap Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner when she flew to Russia "loaded up with drugs."

"She went in there loaded up with drugs into a hostile territory where they're very vigilant about drugs. They don't like drugs. And she got caught. And now we're supposed to get her."

Trump said that because of Griner, the Americans have to free "an absolute killer" who has killed so many Americans and people. He also stated that the WNBA star admitted to possessing drugs, and that too, without much force:

"It certainly doesn't seem like a very good trade does it? He's an absolute one of the worst in the world and he's going to be given his freedom because a potentially spoiled person goes into Russia loaded up with drugs."

However, the former President's government has also negotiated the release of 5,000 Taliban and ISIS inmates from Afghani jails in lieu of a guarantee not to strike American targets. Utah Republican Mitt Romney blamed this decision for the Taliban's ability to recover dominance of Afghanistan at the beginning of Joe Biden's presidency.

During Trump's reign, the administration also worked to get Xiyue Wang and Michael White, two Americans being held in Iran, released in 2020. This was a highly publicized move that critics said damaged the state department's credibility when it came to negotiating prisoner releases from hostile countries.

Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia in February 2022 after pleading guilty to possessing vape cartridges of hashish oil in her luggage. Drugs are illegal in Russia, which is why she was sentenced to 9 years in prison.